The Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) has distributed 60,000 elite rubber seedlings and farm inputs to 135 farmers under its Free Elite Seedlings Distribution Programme for the 2026 planting season to boost rubber production.
The distribution, which marks the first batch of 160,000 elite rubber seedlings scheduled for release this year, was announced at an official handover ceremony in Accra.
The beneficiaries also received termiticides, herbicides and Wellington boots to support the establishment and maintenance of new rubber plantations.
Dr Andy Osei Okrah, Chief Executive Officer of the TCDA, said the distribution had been timed to coincide with the onset of the planting season to enable farmers to plant within the optimum agronomic period.
He said the Authority planned to distribute more than three million elite rubber seedlings to farmers in the Western, Central and Eastern regions to establish new plantations, rehabilitate ageing farms, increase national production and improve farmers’ incomes.
Dr Okrah said the initiative would also help ensure a sustainable supply of raw materials for local processing industries.
“Every elite seedling we place in the hands of our farmers today represents a direct investment in rural livelihoods, reliable raw materials for local manufacturing, aggressive value addition, and sustainable job creation,” he said.
The Chief Executive Officer said the Authority had directed development partners, government agencies, non-governmental organisations and private entities distributing planting materials for regulated tree crops to procure them only from TCDA-certified suppliers.
“This directive… is non-negotiable and will be rigorously enforced to protect our value chains from substandard, uncertified genetics,” he said.
Dr Okrah said the Authority was also pursuing partnerships with private sector investors to reclaim degraded lands through sustainable rubber plantations while promoting downstream manufacturing.
“Our ambition is to create an enabling investment climate for localized manufacturing of high-value finished goods, including vehicle tyres, medical gloves, and industrial components,” he said.
Established under the Tree Crops Development Authority Act, 2019 (Act 1010), and operationalised through Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2471 in 2023, the TCDA regulates, develops and promotes the production, processing and trading of cashew, coconut, oil palm, rubber, mango and shea.
